Possibility of early polls, says Mayawati

In her first public rally since losing power to the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh in March this year and with her sights now set on the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Tuesday said there was a possibility of the poll being held earlier, even as she launched a scathing attack on the Akhilesh Yadav government.

“Uttar Pradesh under the present regime has been transformed into a crime Pradesh,” she said.

On the crucial issue of continuing support to the UPA government in the light of the “anti-people” measures such as diesel price hike, FDI in multi-brand retail and a cap on LPG cylinders, Ms. Mayawati said she would take a call on the issue on Wednesday, at the national executive meeting of the BSP here.

However, in contrast to her vitriolic attack on the Akhilesh government, the BSP chief appeared soft in her criticism of the UPA regime. Even as she dubbed the decision on FDI in retail a suicidal move, Ms. Mayawati said the “BSP would welcome FDI in retail if the move benefits farmers and small traders; at present the party does not support it.”

“Political vendetta”

Addressing the “sankalp maharally” to mark the sixth death anniversary of the party’s founder, Kanshi Ram, at the Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan, the former Chief Minister condemned the Samajwadi Party regime for cancelling the public holiday on October 9.

Slamming the Akhilesh Yadav government as “anti-Dalit,” the BSP president accused it of political vendetta. “Unlike the present regime, the BSP government did not change the names of districts, welfare schemes, hospitals, parks and memorials,” Ms. Mayawati said.

In a strong attack on the Samajwadi Party president and her bete noire, Ms. Mayawati said: “Mulayam Singh Yadav and his ‘samaj’ should express their gratitude not to Ram Manohar Lohia, but to Bhimrao Ambedkar, who was born in a Dalit family, who was instrumental for including Article 340 in the Constitution, which enabled the OBCs to get quota benefits.”

While she rubbished all the welfare schemes launched by the Akhilesh government and panned it for taking credit for schemes like the Yamuna Expressway “which was launched by the BSP government,” Ms. Mayawati’s focus was on the law and order scenario. Kidnappings, murders, loot, dacoity and robbery had reached a new high under the present regime.

Even as she exhorted her partymen to pull their socks up in the “likelihood of the LS poll being held before the scheduled time,” Ms. Mayawati stressed that persons with criminal antecedents would not be given ticket.